FORBIDDEN FRUITS Review

Disguised as a sweet treat, Forbidden Fruits reveals itself to be sticky and messy, like fruit juice running down your arm. Jumping out of the gate with a balls-to-the-walls directorial debut, Meredith Alloway's influence from the teen drama films of the late 90s and early 2000s is willfully

embraced to bring forth a new cult classic in 2026. 

Confidently walking the halls of an overly busy shopping mall, the Fruits, Apple (Reinhart), Fig (Shipp) and Cherry (Pedretti) sanctimoniously own the space as Free Eden girls. Of course, the most popular and hottest girls at the mall work at Free Eden, a boho-chic shop to the likes of Free People. The store is definitely a critique of the predatory nature of these high-end boutiques and the venomous pressure to be the "It girl" at work. This toxic retail environment is only exacerbated when the new girl, Pumpkin (Tung), arrives at the mall as a possible snake in the grass to the Fruits’ paradise. 

Promoted to a Free Eden girl, it is clear that Pumpkin has alternative motives for why she is infiltrating the Fruits. With rumours running wild that Apple poisoned her father, the mysterious disappearance of a former Free Eden girl, Pickle (Chamberlain), and the addition of a new manager, Sharon (Union), it is clear the Fruits have some skeletons in their closet. Pumpkin is here to investigate and reveal the truth behind the Free Eden girls and, most importantly, the Fruits themselves, specifically Apple. 

Forbidden Fruits ironically plays into the themes and archetypes of teen dramas. Apple is our queen bee mean girl who is scathing like her hot lattes, Fig is our nerd who is saving up for grad school, Cherry is our dumb blonde who has main character syndrome, and Pumpkin is our classic new girl trying to fit in. The Fruits is a modern-day retelling of Mean Girls, the Plastics, with a dash of the spellbinding girls from The Craft. Oh, did I forget to mention that this is also a film about witches? Yes, we are not just backstabbing our friends in the typical undermining way, but through dark magic. Have dad or boy troubles? Our clique, or coven of hot girls are not afraid to condemn what they believe needs to be atoned for through blood hexes and the occasional judgmental side comment. 

For the greatest viewing experience, I won’t dive into spoiler territory, but I will say that at its core, the darkness of Forbidden Fruits is about how society often subjugates women who resort to violence as a means to gain control over their lives. From the opening of the film, the idea of the male gaze over the Fruits is examined when Apple throws hot coffee onto a flasher, a reasonable action. Yet when it is believed Apple had poisoned her father, her actions are quickly questioned and deemed monstrous. Unfortunately, Apple does not differentiate between the actions of the flasher and her father, making them the same in her mind. An outsider, like Pumpkin, does not know the pain and suffering Apple has faced at the hands of her father, so it is easier to judge her violent actions. I find the film unique because rather than gazing at the Fruits as sexual beings for pleasure, Alloway directs them to be viewed as messy and complex characters, each with a moment to shine. 

Lili Reinhart and Victoria Pedretti are the standouts of the film, both with unique and wild performances. Reinhart’s Apple is cold, brutal and will do whatever she needs to stay at the top. Delivering an outstanding monologue at the climax of the film, down the camera barrel, Reinhart is ready to break free of her CW days and lean into the world of independent cinema. At the whim of Apple, Pedretti bares all as the dizzy blonde Cherry, completely under the control of her coven leader. Trying to be a perfect BFF for Apple, Cherry will take whatever evil comment is thrown her way. Pedretti brings her energy from The Haunting of Bly Manor and season 3 of You in the third act of the film, and goes off the rails. Cherry finally stands up for herself, but it has permanent consequences. The commitment, not just from Reinhart and Pedretti, but of all the actresses playing the Fruits, undoubtedly elevates this Independent Film Company and Shudder production.

As much as I had fun with the film, Forbidden Fruits unfortunately has major issues with the writing and pacing of the screenplay. Originally a play titled Of the Woman Came the Beginning of Sin, and Through Her We all Die, I feel the transition from stage to screen could have been tightened. Compared to the stage, where you have time to let the moment breathe, in film, you need to keep the attention of your audience. Personally, at reaching the hour mark, I was confused about what the cohesive nature of the film was supposed to be. What is the main theme we are to be following? Is it the backstabbing friendship? Or is it the satirical commentary on female archetypes? Or is it just about witches? There are a lot of interesting questions being asked, but it is a little overwhelming for the film’s 100-minute runtime. 

As a play, I can imagine it must be set in one room, because Forbidden Fruits’ location is really limited to the mall and its subsidiary stores. We do escape to the parking lot a few times, but the audience never leaves. I do find this use of space interesting, as it does lean right into the teen drama iconic hotspot; they actually filmed at the same mall they used for Mean Girls, shoutout Sherway Gardens. I find the liminal space to add to the tension and overall campy feel of the film, but I can see some viewers might believe the opposite and wish for more exposition to the Fruits playing field. 

Despite its troubles, the overall whimsical design of Forbidden Fruits has me wanting to revisit it. Produced by Diablo Cody, I believe Alloway’s directorial debut will be compared to the cult classics like Jennifer’s Body and Lisa Frankenstein, both of which Cody played a direct hand in their development. With fierce fashion, unexpected gore, and complex female leads, I think audiences will be driven back to Forbidden Fruits more often than not. I definitely encourage audiences to go check out this new independent release, but if you were hoping for a rich satirical classic, you might be a little underwhelmed. However, I’m sure you will have a wild ride.  

🍿 SCORE = 70/100